Table Mountain Antelope to Table
We arrived in camp late afternoon and a good group of hunters are here already.
We unloaded and set up our bows, got our gear into our room and sat around talking to the other hunters.
The weather has been HOT upper 90’s and yesterday had strong winds. All in all good hot dry weather is always the best for antelope hunting water holes.
Maybe gonna wish we had air conditioning in the blinds LOL😂
1st morning…
Keedin dropped RJ & Aubrey off at a blind really close to camp.
We had a bit of a drive and we got to our blind and with the sun just peeking over the horizon we could see a herd of antelope up to the west .
Got settled in and trying to figure out which windows to use 🤣. It wasn’t long and spotted to young bucks heading in and the smaller of the two split off and headed east while the other worked it’s way in.
The buck came in but drank on the other side of the cattails and we quickly realized there was no shot if a big buck would do the same so we had to re-adjust to cover that possible situation ….. it’s called learn and adapt😂🤣
We had a doe & 2 Fawn feed to the east and came into us but stayed out a bit and headed west. It always bothers me when some animal flares us, I quickly start thinking what is it seeing? What does it not like? Most of the time it’s just human nature thinking the worse but you’re dealing with wildlife and most of the time we don’t know what they or why.
Talking to the guides it sounds like the antelope numbers are down a bit this year and we totally understand why with the major winter here last year. As we drove out to Salt Lake in March we saw thousands of deer, elk & antelope aloo g the roads due to the high volume of snow they got.
We can see does & yearlyns out to our west just feeding and a couple more to the south. The temps are definitely climbing and it’s getting really hot here in the blind, so hopefully they all will want to come drink🤞🤞
Here a thought……what if you put a couple of the windshield sun reflectors on the inside top of the blind….. would it reflect some of the heat for those hot early season blind sits for antelope??????
It’s 1:00pm and so far we have seen does & fawns far out but nothing has committed to our water as of yet!
We would spot some goats out far and they would slowly make their way closer to us but then just turn around and feed away! So dang frustrating you then think….,
What is wrong, why are they starting away? Do they smell us? Do they see something they don’t like? WTH!!!???&/@$(/-!!!
They just are doing what they do! Did I ever say I hate antelope hunting LOL!!!
About 3:30 or so we got an InReach text from Keedin and they put up a new blind this am and already had seen antelope by it so he was coming to pick us up and move us there as he was moving another hunter as well to a new spot. When he got there we quickly packed up and headed out and he said there were two bucks down already today and 2 missed opportunity’s 👍
We could see a small herd of antelope up and across from us looks like a couple small bucks and does…. They are bedded and just chilling.
So far that has been it.
At about 5:00 or so we watched the group to the west get up and they feed towards us and drank in the pond to our right, the closest they got was 47 yds. No shooters in the group. Spotted another set of does & fawns to the west. It made a for a great unexpected sit. It’s always cool to watch Mother Nature do their thing.
Can’t help but think the blind need to be here a little longer for them to get used to it.
Well we saw antelope today, had a couple within bow range but no shots. The wind is picking up and it’s almost time to be picked up. Maybe tomorrow we will get our chance🤞🙏👍
We don’t think RJ got a chance neither will learn more about there day back at camp.
Day 2….
This am we were in the blind before daylight. Keedin took all of us out. We’re sitting the blind we sat yesterday afternoon and don’t know where RJ & Aubrey are from here but I know they went to the windmill blind. It drizzled a little bit this am and so far it’s calm with some cloud cover.
We spotted a doe &2 fawns they made their way up and didn’t like something…. We actually think we might have figured it out….
The majority of goats come up from the bottom and veer to our left and seems like that want to come down right where we have the blind, we will tell Keedin what we keep seeing….
We spotted a good buck way way out and he was feeding down the valley heading in our direction.
Awhile later we watched him cross the two track way out and he was heading our way and seemed committed to water 😁👍
He came up the same way as the others but started to drift off heading below us and @47yards I thought I held my 40 pin a bit high but no go! I missed! But didn’t make a sound and he jumped and then went back to walking to the corner of the other waterhole.
I was pissed but watching him he didn’t know what the heck just happened and he circled around us.
Two other younger bucks joined him and they didn’t like where our blind was and starting snorting and he just stood above and in back of us looking around .
After and hour and one half he slowly approached to our left and would stare at the water & our blind….. this went on forever and finally after the other bucks left and he just stood there he started walking behind us and I thought it was game over he was going to the far corner of the other water hole and I would not have a second chance….
But to my surprise he appeared 20 yds to our right and Vicki scurried to try and get him on camera and I was squatting towards the front of the blind when I came to full draw hoping to hear I’m on him…..
At full draw bent over trying not to hit the bottom of the window I heard! On Him!
I don’t think I even let her finish him and my Easton Axis 5MM tipped with the new Verdict SS 100gr from NAP struck high going into him and dropped him in his tracks.
The multiple hour standoff was complete and this time I won but I know that’s will not always be the case.
To top it off I see that RJ tried to call during our standoff and he actually shot a good goat as well. That right there made my birthday complete, father & son tagged out!
We reached out to Keedin and he said he was loading up RJ’s buck and they all be right over. It was awesome Mom, RJ, Aubrey & I with Keedin and his trusty dog Adi
Celebrate another day older for this old guy and great memories to take for all.
We loaded up both goats and headed to the skin shack, it wasn’t long both bucks were skinned and hanging in the cooler for tonight or tomorrow we will quarter and debone and freeze it for the trip home.
We didn’t waste anytime and the girls got their Hoyts all ready and we all packed into Keedin’s truck as well as Adi and he dropped us all off for the late afternoon sit and the girls are up🙏🤞👍